Best of The Fest: Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, 2009
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2016
Jarlath Regan: Organ Freeman: Just The Tonic at The Tron, Edinburgh, 2017
99 Club Comedy: The Radisson Blu Hotel, Leicester Square, London, 2017
Jarlath Regan: Organ Freeman: Leicester Square Theatre, London, 2018
99 Comedy Club: Ruby Blue, Leicester Square, London, 2018
The Best of The Comedy Store: Udderbelly Festival, Southbank, London, 2018
The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club: Oldham Street, Manchester, 2019
Always Be Comedy (2 shows): The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2019
Always Be Comedy Online: Show Seven: 2020
Jarlath Regan: Notions Eleven: Recorded live at Vicar Street, Dublin: Online, 2020
An Irishman Abroad Online Comedy Club (3 shows): Online: 2020
The Return of The Craic Online Comedy Club: Online: 2021 (weekly)
The Best of The Comedy Store: The Comedy Store, London, 2022
Always Be Comedy Online: Online: 2022
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2022
Jarlath Regan is one of Ireland’s best comedians. I have seen him a number of times and have always been enthralled by this very likeable, brilliant storyteller. In his 2017 show Organ Freeman, Regan essentially invites us into a family drama between him, his brother, their respective wives, and his son when his brother suddenly needs a kidney. There are tensions and complications between them that make the matter of kidney donation that bit more difficult, and he expertly drip-feeds us this information like a massive tease. It’s a superb piece of storytelling. The show is a terrific combination of club set and Edinburgh show. The narrative is strong, he completely invested in this exploration of familial love and obligation, plus there are strong standalone routines and actual punchlines too. Regan’s a crowd-pleasing comic who’s known for being able to work a room and deliver a solid set that has as much heart as it has laughs.
I was so impressed with Regan’s one-man show Organ Freeman at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe that I saw it again in London in January 2018. The show centred on a very personal journey and is extremely heartfelt and very funny. I was delighted when I arrived at the venue that I had to queue to get in and the show was a sell-out. Playing to a much bigger crowd this time, Regan is a very engaging comic and what was particularly impressive was for every serious point made a punchline was not far away which kept the audience engaged, listening and amused. Indeed, I laughed so hard at one point, Regan pointed towards me and said ‘I recognise that laugh!’ I met him in a pub after the show and praised him on giving us a great night out and wished him every success with the tour. Regan is a great storyteller and a great comedian.
I saw Regan again in March and June 2018. Both times he was compered for the 99 Club Comedy night in Leicester Square and The Best of the Comedy Store at the Udderbelly Festival on the Southbank in London. Again, the classy Irish comic stormed both shows with his expert delivery and brilliant audience interaction combined with a soothing informality and very likeable persona. He skilfully constructed one very funny routine after another before introducing the other acts onto the stage.
Regan appeared again at The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, Manchester in May 2019 where he topped the bill and again in the same month at Always Be Comedy where he was clearly confident and in total control of his audience when he delivered wonderful poignant, warm and funny stories of being a father which were extremely witty. He returned once again to Always Be Comedy in September 2019 where he effortlessly compered the evening.
In May 2020, Regan almost missed his opportunity to appear for Always Be Comedy Online where the audience were watching from home due to the world-wide pandemic. Regan had not realised he was second on the bill and was late. When he eventually arrived, he was hysterical with his lockdown stories and cartoons.
Regan has a successful podcast – An Irishman Abroad features over 350 long-form interviews from Regan with Irish comedians and celebrities. Guests have included Brian O’Driscoll, Jason Byrne, Dara O’Briain and many more. Regan’s interview style in extremely warm and relaxed putting the guest at ease and the interviews are in depth, interesting and funny. Regan has an attentive voice that that you could listen to all day and the success of the podcast has led to The Irishman Abroad Online Comedy Club. It was an absolute honour and great pleasure to be on the front row (seen and heard) at the first ever gig. It was wonderful to meet Regan’s family sitting gleefully in the front row. During the difficult time of the worldwide epidemic, I was cheered up massively by such a great show featuring guests Deirdre O’Kane, Abandoman, Aaron Heffernan talking about his roles in the film Solo: A Star Wars Story and TV series Brassic. Danny O’Reilly, the lead singer of The Coronas, performed his new single which closed a terrific show. If you want tickets for future shows, please go to:
https://www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad.
Unfortunately, I missed the second show due to other comic commitments but was back in the ‘zoom front row’ seat for the third Irishman Abroad Online Comedy Club in August 2020. Regan once again proved a very witty and inimitable host and his guests were Irish track and field athlete Sonia O’Sullivan, comedians Abandoman, Joe Wilkinson, Kevin McGahern and providing the music, Jack Lukeman. The third show which was streamed in October 2020 featured magician Jack Wise, authors Sarah Breen & Emer McLysaght, Paul Howard and singer Loah. It was a pleasure to be there and I am already looking forward to the next one.
Also, in August 2020, I watched online Regan’s new stand-up show Notions Eleven recorded live from Vicar Street, Dublin just before the lockdown. I had so wanted to see the show sitting in a live audience at the Edinburgh Fringe but because of the strange circumstances, the Fringe was cancelled for the first time ever online was the next best thing. Quite simply, it was one of the best performances I have seen all year with Regan on blisteringly funny form. Subjects for routines included Christmas, being an Irishman Abroad and a hilarious and unforgettable description of IT equipment and devices. Each routine was meticulously crafted, and I listened intently and howled with uncontrollable laughter at the amount of jokes and stories as the hour flew by. Clearly enjoying himself on stage with fearless confidence, I was so pleased that the packed audience were loving the show from a comedian at the top of his game.
In January to March 2021, Regan returned to hosting duties with his new weekly online show The Return of The Craic Online Comedy Club. The first show featured guest comic heavyweights Paul McCaffrey, Jen Brister, Prince Abdi and magician Pete Heat who all provided superb entertainment delivering a fantastic evening. Guests for other shows included Jo Caulfield, Marcel Lucont, Andrew Bird, Justin Moorhouse, Harry Hill, Angela Barnes, Ed Gamble and Dane Baptiste.
I saw Regan again when he appeared for The Best of The Comedy Store and online for Always Be Comedy both in July 2022 and then again for Always Be Comedy’s new venue in September 2022. The routines included stories of bizarre lockdown purchases including a laser thermometer, it was wonderful to see the great comedian again, both live and online.
One of the friendliest people I have met, Regan is a great comic, a fantastic storyteller and supporter of comedy who is highly recommended and well worth seeing.